Britain’s fastest man Zharnel Hughes has predicted that Netflix’s “spicy” new track and field series will have a similar impact on the sport as Drive to Survive did for Formula One.
Last year Hughes broke the British 100m and 200m records and won world championship bronze in Budapest but he remains far from a household name. However he believes that the Netflix cameras, which captured the drama and simmering tensions when behind the scenes with the world’s top sprinters, will showcase the sport in a more exciting light.
“I love the experience I’ve had with them,” he said. “I definitely think there’s a lot of spice in there that people will gravitate to. And I’m pretty sure you’ll hear some backlash with regards to how people talk about how they get prepared for races and so forth too.
“Most definitely it’ll have the impact of Drive to Survive,” he said. “Netflix is very popular. People watched the world champs, but you didn’t see the warm up. You didn’t know what really happened behind the scenes. Netflix got every single bit.
“It’s great exposure for our sport. I think it’ll draw more attention, which we actually need. So it’s a good thing.”
Hughes, who trains with Usain Bolt’s former coach Glen Mills in Jamaica, believes he is in better shape at this stage of the season than last year as he prepares for the Olympics.
“My fitness is much better than last season and the work has definitely been intensified,” he said. “I’m asking coach: ‘Are you trying to kill me?’ But he’s just saying the work is just about to start. So I’m trusting his process and so far everything has been going pretty good.”
Hughes also revealed that Bolt recently congratulated him for his performances in 2023. “He shouted me out on my friend’s FaceTime call,” he said. “He was like: ‘Yo Zharnel, I saw you man, keeping up the good things, happy to see you doing well man so big up yourself,’ so it was basically a quick chat congratulating me on my success.”
Speaking at an event organised by Vita Coco, Hughes was less forthcoming on the upheaval at British Athletics, which has seen technical director Stephen Maguire get the sack.
“I don’t have much to say in that regard because I don’t work with British Athletics,” he said. “I’m focusing solely on my craft. What’s happening behind the scenes, they’ll have to sort that out. I’m fully focused on the 2024 Paris Olympics.”
